


Come a Little Closer (and Let Me Do Those Things to You)

by mistilteinn



Series: Nedgene College AU [2]
Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, feelings talk, they have sex in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 12:01:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistilteinn/pseuds/mistilteinn
Summary: As it turns out, Ned might be more than just a jock.(Alternatively: Eugene has feelings. He hates it.)





	Come a Little Closer (and Let Me Do Those Things to You)

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this is pure fiction. It was fun to write, but do I actually want them to act it out?? Heck no (except maybe for the scenes where Eugene talks about his feelings - lol)
> 
> If your name is in the tags, this isn't for you.
> 
> Unbeta'd, though I'm sure I'll read through it a few more times and edit anything that reads awkwardly.
> 
> (title from the song "Let Me" by Zayn, which I had on repeat while writing this)

The first day of fall semester went exactly as Eugene expected; he sat in the middle of all of his classes, his professors reviewed their syllabi, he met up with Keith and Zach K. for lunch, and he drove back to his off-campus apartment to finish unpacking and to relax for the evening.

On the second day, shit began to hit the fan. He was late to his first class (something that had _never_ happened before) because he couldn’t find a parking spot, he walked into the wrong room for his second class (he stayed there the entire time out of embarrassment), and he found out that Keith and Zach K. were both free for lunch at a different time.

On the third day, someone took his seat in chemistry class. Eugene’s patience was wearing dangerously thin. They’d already met on Monday - that meant that the exact middle seat was _his._ Every civilized person that he knew respected the unassigned-assigned seat rule. That meant that this person must be uncivilized.

As he entered the lecture hall from the back of the room, his ire grew and grew. Not only did this guy steal _his_ seat, but he also went so far as to come in fifteen minutes early to commit said theft! Not to mention - this guy didn’t respect the “no food” rule that their professor had _clearly_ gone over on Monday: he had not one, but _two_ wrapped sandwiches sitting on the table directly in front of him.

Gritting his teeth, Eugene mentally prepared to confront the interloper. He dropped his bag on the table next to the guy’s stuff and loudly cleared his throat. He pushed away the savage satisfaction when the interloper jumped and turned to face his foe.

… and stiffened in surprise when he was met with a familiar face. Ned broke into a smile when he saw Eugene and immediately pulled out his headphones.

“Hey! I saw you in class on Monday, but you left so fast after that I couldn’t find you to say hello! I was hoping we could sit together - I always try to sit in the academic T, and you’re right in the middle! Oh, are you hungry? I brought breakfast! Dr. Kurz is fine with it as long as we’re done before she starts teaching. Hey, which lab section are you in?”

Eugene hadn’t had nearly enough coffee to handle this interaction. All of the fight seeped out of him and he slumped into his chair, only to accept the breakfast sandwich offered to him and weakly ask, “Academic T?”

Ned smiled brightly and responded, “Yeah! Studies show that students do better academically when they choose to sit in either the front row or the middle column of the classroom!”

Eugene took a bite of the sandwich before replying. Damn, it was really good. Ned clearly knew it was good by the smug look on his face. _Bastard._ He was probably bribing Eugene with food just to steal his seat. “But couldn’t it just be a meaningless correlation? I mean, most brighter students who _want_ to do well just choose to sit close to the front for whatever reason. Seeing the board better or talking to the professor more.”

Ned stared at him for a beat. “... I guess I should look into it more.” He paused, looking down at the table in front of him, and lowered his voice as other students began to file in. “I also just wanted to sit next to you.”

Eugene stuffed the last bite (probably should have been two bites) of sandwich into his mouth instead of answering. He refused to notice how Ned’s ears had turned pink when he’d said that and was absolutely not charmed by it. He was far too busy focusing on their professor to spend any time thinking about Ned at all. Dedicated. He was absolutely dedicated to learning about...whatever stoichiometry was.

When class finally, blessedly ended, Eugene chanced a look at Ned. The younger was doodling in his notebook, apparently in no rush to leave. Eugene took a steeling breath and took the pencil from Ned’s hand.

Ignoring the indignant noise that he made, Eugene scribbled his phone number on the bottom corner of the closest blank page. Not making eye contact, he started shoving his things into his bag. “Uh, just in case you want to study together or hang out or...something. You can. Text me, I guess.”

He knew he was blushing. He hated the fact that his hands were trembling. And yet, he couldn’t help but glance at Ned before standing. When he saw the younger’s delighted smile, his stomach did a little flip and he ducked his head quickly, terrified that Ned would see something vulnerable in his expression.

\---

He met Keith and Zach at the gorilla statue outside of the dining hall after his Intro to Digital Media and Tools class a few hours later. When he arrived, they were chatting about a project that they wanted to put together for their European film studies class.

Eugene was jealous, not for the first time, that they were in the same year. He often felt very fortunate that they’d all happened to share an English class the previous fall. He liked his own classmates just fine, but he’d never experienced the easy companionship that Zach and Keith just naturally fell into. Though he considered the two of them his closest friends, he knew that he was always a step removed from them.

Lunch was always a fun experience, with Zach’s various food allergies and Keith’s fixation on fried chicken. Eugene regularly mourned the state of the dining hall’s “Asian” food, but he could usually put something together that satisfied his nutritional needs. When all three had gotten their food, they sat in one of the smaller dining rooms off to the side.

As soon as they had gotten settled, Keith assumed the air of a stay-at-home mother asking how her children’s day went and asked, “So, what’s new? We haven’t seen you in two whole days, and that is just _far_ too long. Spill. Everything.”

“Uh, well, yesterday sucked. I was late to class.” He grimaced when Zach paused mid-bite and raised his brows. Eugene continued, staring down at his tray while he decided what to include in his rambles. “I know, it was awful. Umm… Someone took my seat today in my chemistry class. That ended up fine, though. I know him. He also brought me a breakfast sandwich.”

Eugene looked up when he heard cheap school-issued silverware clatter against the hard plastic trays. Keith and Zach were both staring at him incredulously. “What?” He hedged.

His friends looked at each other carefully before Zach turned back to him, hesitation evident as he spoke. “Eugene...you never told us you have a boyfriend. We’re just...surprised.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Eugene said reflexively. When Keith wrinkled his brows, he reiterated. “We haven’t seen each other since last semester! We’re not dating. I _just_ gave him my phone number today.”

“So he’s _going to be_ your boyfriend?” Eugene resisted the urge to smash Zach’s (dairy free!) mashed potatoes in his face.

“ _No._ I only gave him my number so that we can study together,” he lied. As an afterthought, he added, “If we’re in the same lab section, we’ll probably be partners.”

When Keith snickered at the word _partners_ , he glared and stabbed his green beans savagely.

The rest of the meal passed without incident, and by the time he got back to his apartment, he had a text message from an unknown number.

_hey, it’s ned! i have lab tomorrow 1:30 - 3:10. is that your section?_

Holding back a smile, Eugene responded in the affirmative. It was only a few moments before his phone lit up again. Another text from Ned, this one simply saying - _i’ll save you a spot :)_

Eugene didn’t respond, instead choosing to ignore the way his stomach flipped when he read the message.

\---

The next afternoon, Eugene was shaking when he walked into their chemistry lab. He tried to convince himself that it had nothing to do with a certain smile, but it was hopeless the moment he saw Ned and felt a surge of adrenaline.

The sensation brought him back to something he had read in his freshman year biology class about the “Four Fs” - the basic primal motivations that animals follow: fighting, fleeing, feeding, and...mating.

When the younger man greeted him happily and handed him a sandwich, explaining, “It’s porchetta! We can’t eat in here, but after class, we could go sit outside if you wanted,” Eugene was pretty sure he knew which of the four Fs he was most interested in pursuing with Ned.

—-

A few weeks later, Eugene was hanging out with Keith while they waited for Zach to finish orientation for his internship. After much prodding, Eugene finally started to talk about Ned.

He was glad, in a way. There were certain things that he wanted to ask about, and (as the only person with a long-term significant other) Keith was their resident relationship expert. “He keeps feeding me. Every time we have class together, he brings me something that he made. I don’t. Get why.” He bristled when Keith started laughing, crossing his arms and glowering.

Keith put up his hands in a placating gesture as he sobered up. “Woah, hey, chill out. It’s only funny because that’s exactly what Becky did when we first got together. He’s trying to get you to wife him up.”

Eugene’s brain refused to process that statement. “What...the fuck?”

“Okay, uh, let me put it another way. How do you feel each time he gives you food?” Keith was leaning forward on his hand, eyebrow raised in interest.

Eugene thought for a moment, recalling the four Fs and the familiar-unfamiliar feeling he experienced whenever Ned handed him some delightful Italian-American snack. “I feel like… I want to fuck him.”

Keith snorted. “Uh, yeah, I got that much. I meant more like what you feel in terms of emotions. What do you _feel_ when you think about him?”

Emotions. Right. Eugene crinkled his brow as he tried to sort through their recent interactions. He swallowed before responding.

“Uh, frustration, sometimes? He made me redo the titration trial like six times last week and I almost strangled him.” At Keith’s completely flat expression, he continued hurriedly, “I - I guess… Like, happiness? I…like to see him in the morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I. Like to get texts from him. Nervous, too. I kind of want to throw up when I talk about him.”

Keith nodded slowly enough that Eugene got the impression that he was trying to get Eugene to realize something very simple. It irritated him. “What?”

“Is that all that you feel when you think about him?”

He thought about the night that they'd met, the conversation they had shared on the walk back to campus. “I...want to know more about him. I’m curious, I think. I want him to tell me all about his life, and, like, what he wants to do, and his family.”

Keith clapped, clearly pleased with Eugene’s emotional breakthrough. “Okay, great! Now we know how you feel. Do you know what you need to do next?”

“... Fuck him?”

Keith covered his face with his hands and groaned. Eugene leaned forward and stared at him, hard. He needed to know what to do since clearly, his instincts were very wrong.

“No, Eugene, don’t fuck him. I mean, you can fuck him if you both want to - or he can fuck you, I don’t _give a shit!_  But that’s completely beside the point. You need to tell him how you feel. Definitely before any fucking takes place. You _like_ him. All signs point to him _liking_ you back. You both need to talk about your feelings so that you’re on the same page.”

Eugene recoiled, “That sounds awful. I don’t want to do that at all.”

Keith leaned forward, uncharacteristically serious. “I don’t care if you want to. You _need_ to. Look, Zach and I have known you for over a year now. You’re our best friend.” He took off his glasses and rubbed them on his shirt, no doubt smudging them even further. “The first two months that we hung out, Zach and I thought that you hated us. We didn’t know anything about you - at all. Zach had to look at the class roster just to figure out your last name.”

Eugene was stunned. He felt a creeping shame rise from the bottom of his stomach and looked down as his face heated up. “Jesus - I’m sorry. It was never my intention to make either of you think that I hated you.”

Keith waved his apology away. “Don’t worry about it. We figured it out eventually. My point is, I don’t want that same thing to happen with this guy. You’re an incredible person, but you’re hard to read. And a little prickly. You’re like a hedgehog.”

Eugene had wrinkled his nose, trying to work out whether or not he should be offended, when Zach entered the room.

He stopped short when he saw Eugene’s expression and turned to Keith, crossing his arms. “Did you use the hedgehog metaphor? I thought we decided to save that for later.”

Eugene cut in before Keith could answer, “First of all, it’s a simile. Second, you guys have talked about this before?”

His two best friends looked guiltily at each other instead of responding right away. Keith eventually answered, “Like I said, you’re a hard nut to crack.”

Eugene only rolled his eyes when Zach said excitedly, “Oh, that one’s definitely a metaphor!”

\---

Ned and Eugene had a chemistry test the following Friday. After stressing about it all weekend, Eugene decided to take the plunge and invite him over after lab on Thursday to study.

He walked into the kitchen, where his roommate was cooking dinner, and casually (stressfully!) leaned against the counter while he chose his words.

“Hey, so I’m thinking I want to have a friend over to study later this week. We have a test on Friday, so I’m planning to invite him over on Thursday. Is that alright with you?”

Ryan looked over at him, surprised, but nodded. “Yeah, totally. My _friend_ ,” he started, swallowing after the word, “invited me over for a movie night, so I’ll just be over there all night. Not like all night, I’m not staying over there! Unless you want your friend to stay over here? Then I can probably, like, crash on his couch or something.”

Eugene broke eye contact, suddenly feeling cagey. “Uh, yeah, he might stay the night. Just because the test is early, though. We might as well ride to campus together.”

Ryan nodded, appearing oddly relieved, “Yeah, totally. I’ll probably do the same thing with my friend. Not that we have a test, though. Just because of the movies. I won’t want to disturb you guys if you’re gonna be up late studying.”

Eugene swallowed. “Thanks, man, I appreciate that.” He turned to leave the kitchen and took a step, only to pause when Ryan spoke again.

“I can, like, clean up the living room and bathroom before he comes over if you want.”

He turned around again to look at his new roommate. They got along just fine, he thought. They never really spoke other than to make a laundry and cleaning schedule, but he thought highly of Ryan. Before his talk with Keith and Zach, he would have been content to just leave their relationship at that. Now, he wondered, if people had been reaching out to him all along and he’d just chosen not to see it. He wondered if Ryan wanted to befriend him but didn’t feel welcome.

“I can take care of the bathroom if you just wanna pick up the living room. That would be a huge help, thank you.” He paused before continuing, heart pounding in his ears, “I hope you have fun during your movie night.”

Ryan broke into a pleasant smile, “Yeah man, of course.”

That evening, Eugene left the kitchen feeling lighter and a little bit accomplished.

\---

What Eugene didn’t realize at the time was that the most nerve-wracking part was yet to come - on Monday, he walked into chemistry class with sweaty palms.

Per the little routine they had developed, Ned was already seated and had two wrapped packages -one in front of him, and one in front of Eugene’s seat.

Even amongst his nerves, Eugene felt a rush of fondness for the younger man. When he got to his seat, he let his hand rest on the back of the younger’s chair and faced him, nodding when Ned brightly greeted him.

He pushed down his nerves before he began to speak, “Hey, so I was wondering if you still wanted to study together.”

“Yeah, definitely! When do you want to meet up?” Ned answered, smile curling about the edges of his mouth.

Eugene felt like he may vomit when he suggested, “Maybe Thursday after lab? We could go to my apartment. My roommate’s going to be out, so we won’t be disturbed.”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect. I, um, don’t have a car on campus, though. Is it far?” Ned looked a little embarrassed, but it wasn’t unheard of for sophomores to not bring a car to school, especially if they lived on the main campus.

Eugene made a so-so gesture with his hand. “It’s a bit far to walk, but I can give you a ride. We can leave straight from lab if you want.”

Ned sent him a quick, bashful smile before nodding. “Yeah, definitely. We can do that.”

\---

The next couple of days passed by in a blur of terror for Eugene. After talking to Keith and Zach about it, he decided to go all-out and make dinner for the two of them. On Wednesday, he got the recipe for a pretty simple short rib soup that his mother had made for them growing up and bought everything that he’d need for the dish. When he got home, he cleaned the bathroom and his bedroom (just in case!), changing his sheets and fretting.

Thursday morning, he put the ingredients together in his slow cooker and turned it to high, saying goodbye to Ryan as he left for the day.

Before Eugene left, he did a sweep of the apartment. The last thing he did was check his bedside drawer, just to make sure he had anything that they might need. He wasn’t assuming that things would turn that way, but the last thing he wanted was to get into it with Ned and realize that they couldn’t hook up.

Everything in place, Eugene took a step back and breathed deeply, trying to quiet his nerves. He knew that even if Ned only wanted to study, they would both have a good time, and he’d finally have the chance to return the favor and feed the younger man for once. He just hoped that the evening progressed further than quizzing each other with flashcards.

\---

This week, their lab involved synthesizing a new compound from soda cans. It was pretty interesting, but it meant that they were working with a strong acid, and _that_ meant that Ned was even more fussy than usual about lab safety.

Eugene appreciated his dedication to achieving the highest possible grade - he had a GPA that he was pretty proud of - but when Ned asked him to redo the dilution of sulfuric acid yet _again_ , he had to step away from the experiment for a bit.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” he snapped, pulling off his personal protective equipment on the way out the door and nodding to the lab instructor, who was reading something instead of watching the class.

In the restroom, Eugene squeezed the bridge of his nose and briefly thought about disappearing for a while, maybe resurfacing in a different country after a couple of years. He didn’t know how to handle the conflicting emotions he felt about Ned.

Usually, when people irritated him, he'd just ignore it or used finely crafted barbs to chip away at their self-esteem, but neither of those options seemed quite right in this situation. He wanted to keep spending time with the younger man, but he needed to find a way to address the frustration he was feeling.

He supposed Keith would tell him to just sit down with Ned and lay it all out, good and bad. Eugene shuddered at the thought.

When he got back to the lab room, Ned was sitting rather adorably on a stool, listening to their lab instructor explain how to make pickles. The younger man turned excitedly to him, “Josh said that if we make pickles with the recipe he included in the labs this week and bring him some, he’ll give us extra credit on the practical!”

Eugene turned a shrewd eye to the lab instructor. Young, tall, smart. Definitely handsome in that nerdy, “Do you want to see my mineral collection?” way. He’d even gotten into Columbia to study patent law - this was his last year teaching at their university. Eugene hated him immensely. “Isn’t that... _bribery?_ Or is it entrapment? Josh, you’re gonna be a lawyer, which is it?”

Josh laughed uncomfortably, “Well it’s _neither_ , as long as nobody says anything. I’d call that a win-win situation.”

Eugene fake laughed along before guiding Ned away from him. When they got back to their lab station, he’d put on his goggles, lab coat, and gloves, and was ready to add the sulfuric acid to their solution and lower the temperature.

While they were waiting for their mixture to cool (and hopefully precipitate!), Ned leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Josh is kind of...weird, don’t you think? The whole _‘as long as nobody says anything’_ thing kinda rubbed me the wrong way.”

Eugene nodded, keeping his eyes on their solution, hoping for crystals to start forming. “Yeah, that was gross. Hope he takes an ethics course at law school.”

Ned started laughing loudly enough that a couple of the other lab groups were looking over at them. Eugene finally tore his gaze away from their experiment to look at his partner - the crinkles around his eyes, the ever-messy hair, the bright smile - he couldn’t blame them for staring.

All at once Ned’s expression changed - his eyes got wider, his smile turned from one of mirth into one of wonderment, and he pointed back at their solution, where Eugene could see that crystals had started to form.

\---

When they got to Eugene’s apartment, he’d almost forgotten why he’d been nervous in the first place.

Ned had immediately deferred to him, toeing off his shoes by the door and dropping his bag next to the couch as Eugene did. The older man beckoned him into the kitchen and he followed, looking around the apartment curiously.

“Dinner’ll be done in a couple of hours. I’m making a Korean short rib soup - I’ve just gotta start soaking the noodles now. You wanna hang out in here while I take care of it?” Eugene found it easier to talk to Ned when he was focusing on a separate task. He started getting what he needed out of the cabinet and saw Ned nod and sit at the kitchen table in his peripheral vision.

As he started running cool water over the noodles, Ned spoke. “Thanks for inviting me over tonight. I’ve wanted to hang out with you since the semester started, but I got too nervous and chickened out every time I tried to ask.”

Eugene looked over at him. “You didn’t seem nervous in chem class when you sat next to me?”

Ned laughed, covering his face. “I was shaking in my boots. I thought you were gonna kill me at first.”

Eugene flushed, remembering his instant fury when he saw that someone had taken his seat. Ned continued, “It’s nothing to worry about. I definitely get a little aggro sometimes too. I know it can’t be easy being my lab partner.”

The face that Eugene made when he turned back to Ned had the younger laughing hard, leaning over the table. He quickly rearranged his expression and tried to backtrack, “I mean, most of the time it’s great! I love working with someone so smart and...dedicated!”

Ned waved him off easily. “I know how I am. I’m mostly just trying to figure out how you are.”

Noodles done, Eugene sat across the table, back as straight as an arrow. “Sorry. I’m trying to be better about that.”

“You don’t need to apologize for being yourself. Just...help me understand, maybe.” Ned leaned back, shifting in his seat. “I know we’ve hung out on campus a few times this semester, but I’m not really sure where we stand.”

Eugene suddenly knew that Keith had been right. If he didn’t talk about his feelings now, he might not have a chance to later. He leaned forward in his seat, ears turning red. “I like you. A lot. I want to keep hanging out with you. I want to make you dinner, I want to take you places, I want to hold your hand, I want to kiss you, and do other stuff -”

He knew his face was bright red at this point, but the way Ned was looking at him, he had to keep going. “I want to meet your family! I even...might want to watch you play soccer. That’s…that’s where I stand.”

He was staring down at the table when he finished, too nervous to look back up at Ned. Suddenly a pair of hands entered his field of vision and covered his own. When he looked back up, Ned was smiling softly. “Coincidentally, that’s where I stand as well.” He paused for a moment, looking abashed. “What happens next?”

Eugene returned his smile. “Now, we study until dinner’s ready, then we eat. After that...it’s up to you.”

\---

They didn’t end up getting much studying done. Ned turned out to be a terrible flirt, and what could Eugene do? Resist?

Not likely. The aftereffects of their conversation meant that he felt almost lightheaded with relief, and he couldn’t help but lean in every time Ned got a question right, cheered him for answering correctly, or just looked at him in general. The rush of affection he felt every time he saw Ned crinkle his brow in thought was a type of high that he’d never experienced.

It was a good thing that Eugene had set a timer for dinner, otherwise, he would definitely have forgotten it. He dished out the soup while Ned put away their study materials. When he was ready, he called the younger man into the kitchen.

Ned loved the soup. Eugene wasn’t sure if it was a testament to his cooking, or if the younger man just ate everything, but he wasn’t interested enough to find out which it was. Not when he had so many other questions for him. Hobbies, passions, goals - he wanted to know everything. Fortunately, Ned was more than willing to tell him whatever he wanted to know.

“I really enjoy chemistry - it’s my major, but I love entertaining people too. Maybe I’ll moonlight as a comedian or something.”

“I think you’ll be successful in whatever you do. How was your sister’s wedding?”

“It was beautiful, honestly. She and her husband have been together forever, and he’s finishing up med school, so my dad loves him.”

“What does your dad think of your goals?”

“He’s really supportive. I think it helps that I’ve really only talked to him about the chemistry bit. I’m not sure how he would react if I told him that I want to go into the entertainment business.”

“Do you talk to him a lot?”

“I try to. It’s hard. He’s pretty old-school. He took it pretty well last summer when I told him that I was going to start dating men, though, so maybe I should give him more credit.”

That gave Eugene pause for a moment. “You came out to him? After we -?”

Ned nodded, shrugging, and gave a small smile, “It’s like I told you, there was no part of me that was unsure.”

Eugene was blown away. He couldn’t imagine the kind of bravery it took to be so brazenly open with one’s emotions. He’d come out to his own parents over the phone during his freshman year. It hadn’t even occurred to him to tell them in person.

\---

After dinner, he took Ned by the hand and led him to his bedroom. He’d spent more time decorating than he ever bothered to when he lived on campus, and he had a full-sized bed now. When Ned kissed him, he felt heat curling inside of his body from the tips of his toes all the way to the top of his head.

They undressed each other hurriedly, not bothering to turn the lights off. Not nearly soon enough, he had Ned laying back on the bed, head on the pillows and legs spread wide.

Eugene kneeled between his legs, slowly running his hands down the younger man’s body, pausing at the dip of his waist and the slight curve of his hip. He marveled at the expanse of pale, freckled skin, the firm muscles underneath, the soft curves in just the most delightful places.

Ned’s breath quickened when Eugene brought his hand up and kissed the inside of his wrist. “Can I ask you to roll over?”

The younger man visibly swallowed, embarrassed smile making its way into his face. He nodded enthusiastically before sitting up. His bright green eyes flickered up and down Eugene’s body and he hesitated before asking, “You’ll take care of me, right?”

The older man felt a wave of warmth and affection, bringing his hand up to cradle Ned’s cheek. He kissed him softly, leaving their foreheads pressed together when he promised, “I’ll take care of you.”

A shy smile, a softly spoken _okay,_ and he was shifting Ned, sliding a pillow beneath his hips, making sure he was comfortable. From behind, the contrast from Ned’s hips to his slim waist was more apparent. Blood rushed in Eugene’s ears - his hands shook as he leaned over the younger man, holding his waist gently, and kissed down his spine.

When he reached the curve of his ass, Eugene couldn’t help but nip lightly, smiling when Ned gasped and jumped. “Relax, babe. I’ve got you.”

Eugene brought his hands down and spread Ned open. He leaned in and licked a firm stripe from Ned’s perineum to his hole, smirking at the soft sigh that came from the head of the bed. He squeezed the younger’s cheeks and alternated flat, broad swipes with pointing his tongue, teasing around the edge of Ned’s rim.

When he licked into Ned properly, the younger moaned brokenly and pressed his ass back, desperate for more contact. Eugene shut his eyes for a second - his dick was leaking onto the bed, leaving a mess on his sheets, and he _wanted_ , so badly.

“I’m -,” his voice hitched when he pulled back and saw how wet and open Ned was, the red mark from where he’d bitten the younger. He swallowed and started again. “I’m gonna finger you, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, please,” Ned was babbling, his thighs were taut, his hands clenched in the sheets, knuckles white. Eugene sat up on his knees and loomed over him for a moment, reaching to get the lube and a condom from his bedside table. His cock brushed heavily over Ned’s ass as he stretched, and the younger gasped, grinding back, Eugene sliding easily between his cheeks.

Eugene sat back quickly, grabbing Ned’s cheek in one hand and holding him still, ignoring the petulant noise he made. “You do that, and this is gonna be over real quick.”

A sharp _snap_ and Eugene was rubbing a dollop of lube between his fingers on his free hand, warming it before rubbing carefully over Ned’s rim. The younger pushed back, so, _so_ eager that a frission of anticipation actually made its way through his chest, and he pressed into tight silky heat.

The _oh_ that came from that movement was breathless, and Eugene pulled out, this time pressing two fingers inside. He held the younger steady while he explored, in and out, in and out, fingers curling as he searched for his prostate.

The more Eugene stretched him, the more Ned seemed to melt into the sheets, to become more pliable and soft. That changed when Eugene found that bundle of nerves - Ned went stiff, legs trembling as if he’s been electrocuted.

“Oh, _fuck,_ ” he groaned. Encouraged, Eugene added a third finger and quickened his pace, hitting his prostate each time. Ned tried to speak, voice breaking with each thrust. “Please, come on. I want, I want you - just, fuck me, please!”

Eugene pulled his fingers out, wiping them carelessly on the bed. “Turn over,” he commanded, opening the condom and rolling it over himself. Ned complied, settling back on his elbows, flushed all the way down his chest. Eugene lifted his legs, hands under his thighs so that he was almost bent in half, and lined up.

The angle that they were at when Eugene finally pressed in didn’t quite allow for him to kiss the younger, but being able to see the way that each thrust slid Ned further up the bed, the way that his cock leaked as it strained towards his stomach, was almost as good. He let go of one of Ned’s legs and stroked him, using the precum gathered at the head to wet his hand.

As soon as his hand was on Ned’s dick, the younger was babbling again, mostly a stream of _fuck_ s and heady moans.

The tight heat around Eugene sent him thrusting harder, faster. His rhythm was all off, but neither seemed to mind. He pulled the leg that he still had a hold of over his shoulder, shifting slightly so that he was hitting the younger’s prostate full-on, and on the next stroke Ned screwed his eyes shut and yelped, head falling back.

Eugene could feel him coming before he saw it, the contractions around his cock making it hard to concentrate on watching the younger. Soon he was coming as well, the pleasure coiled so tightly in his belly that the unfurling was just the right side of painful.

He tried to catch his breath, leaning heavily on his hand so as to not crush Ned. When he pulled out, Ned groaned softly and pulled his leg back. He collapsed next to Ned, watching him through nearly-shut eyes.

Ned looked down at his stomach, messy with come and sweat, and gave a long-suffering sigh before dropping his head back into the pillows and shutting his eyes. “Why am I always the one who ends up covered in come?”

Eugene snorted out a surprised laugh, turning his face away and pushing himself up to pull off the condom and grab a towel for him. When he handed it to the younger man, he asked, only half joking, “Did that ruin it for you?”

Ned accepted the offered towel and wiped his belly half-heartedly. He looked up at Eugene, eyes suddenly very sincere, and responded, “Not at all.” He paused and seemed to give up on trying to clean himself up. “But I might like a shower before bed.”

Eugene smiled openly, genuinely, and grabbed Ned’s hand, pulling him up to standing. “Yeah, I can take care of that for you.”

While Ned rinsed off, Eugene changed the sheets on his bed again and set an alarm for the morning, afterward putting away their leftovers from dinner. When he got back to his room, Ned was under the covers, having already claimed his side of the bed.

Eugene crawled into his own side, sighing but secretly enjoying it when Ned scooted over to cuddle.

\---

Walking to the science building the next morning, Ned kept their hands tangled together. Eugene never thought he would allow that kind of PDA in a relationship (was that what they were in?), but here he was, actually enjoying the physical contact.

Something about the bright sunlight, the softness of Ned’s hair without any product, and seeing him in Eugene’s clothes just felt right. He didn’t even resist when Ned saw someone he knew and excitedly pulled him along to say hello.

“Ryan, hey!! I haven’t seen you at all this year! Are you doing the fantasy league again? This is Eugene, my - lab partner? Boyfriend? Can I say that? Are we dating?” Eugene was frozen for a moment, face to face with his roommate and a particularly tall, lanky man. Ryan’s eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. He’d clearly been holding hands with the taller man, but he'd shoved his hands in his pockets as soon as Ned had addressed him. The taller man seemed unfazed.

Eugene broke through the shock and turned away from his roommate to look at Ned. For once, he looked nervous, anxious even. Eugene didn’t like that expression on his face at all. He mentally ran back through everything that the younger had just said and, _oh_. _Wow._ His heart immediately started thumping in his ears and time slowed to a crawl.

 _Ba-dum._ Boyfriend. _Ba-dum._ His roommate _. Ba-dum._ He wasn’t out to Ryan yet. _Ba-dum._ Some stranger he didn’t even know was here. _Ba-dum._ Ned’s concerned brow. _Ba-dum._ The worried set of his mouth. _Ba-dum._

His inner Zach kicked him into motion; his inner Keith shouted at him to respond. _Ba-dum._

“Yeah! Yeah, boyfriend. Boyfriend’s right.” Eugene nodded, the world returning to its normal pace. He turned back to Ryan and his giant companion. “Ned’s my boyfriend.” He looked down at Ned, willing his worried expression to go away. “You’re my boyfriend.”

The tall friend reached out a hand; Eugene had to let go of Ned’s hand in order to shake it. “Cool, man. I’m Shane.” There was something very easygoing about him - maybe the downturn of his eyes, maybe the slight slope of his shoulders, as if he was used to standing out and didn’t particularly care for it. “Well, if you’re with Ned, we’ll probably see a lot of each other once the pretend sports games start up. This one,” he said, pointing a thumb at Ryan, who was still frozen in fear, “gets _so_ invested, it’s like he thinks it isn't fictional or something.”

Eugene laughed, wondering if this was the person that Ryan had spent the night with, before pushing that thought away. It wasn’t any of his business - Ryan would talk to him about it if and when he wanted to. He surprised himself by making a suggestion, “We should all get lunch sometime if we’re gonna hang out anyway.” He cut himself off and checked his phone, realizing that they had to go. “Oh, shit, we’ve got to get to our test. See you guys later!”

When they were a few steps away, Eugene realized that Ned had been staring at him. “What?” He asked, concerned.

There was a mischievous sparkle in the younger man’s eyes. “Nothing. Just call me your boyfriend again.”

Eugene felt himself flush and he rolled his eyes in embarrassment. “Shut up, nerd.”

It didn’t stop him from smiling when Ned looped his arm across Eugene’s shoulders and leaned up to whisper into his ear, “ _Boyfriend._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> The college they all go to is loosely based off of my undergrad university, rather than trying to write Yale or any of the schools the other Try Guys went to. Write what you know, am I right?


End file.
